Things to do in Pau
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Pau
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring showcase, with green foothills, snow on the chain and the clearest boulevard views after rain.
Grand Prix weekends, modern and historic, typically on successive weekends in May. Hotels fill and the centre closes for the circuit.
Carnaval Biarnés animates late winter, usually February into early March.
Mountain season. The Artouste train and canyoning run, and evenings can turn stormy.
Été à Pau brings free concerts to the Théâtre de Verdure from mid July into early August, and Hestiv'Óc fills August.
Autumn brings Jurançon vendanges, game menus, soft light and empty trails.
Mild town winter with foehn view days, ski season at Gourette and Artouste, and grey wet spells with no view.
What's on
- Carnaval Biarnés February to early March
One of the great south western carnivals, animating Pau in late winter.
- Pau Motors Festival May
The modern Grand Prix weekend on Pau's street circuit, typically in May with dates varying by year.
- Grand Prix de Pau Historique May
Historic racing cars on the same street circuit, typically on a successive May weekend to the modern event.
- Été à Pau Mid July to early August
Free open air concerts at the Théâtre de Verdure in Parc Beaumont.
- Hestiv'Óc Late August each year
A free city wide Occitan festival of polyphonic singing, street music and a gourmet village.
- Les Idées mènent le monde November
Pau's literary festival, the main event of the autumn cultural season.
- Chais portes ouvertes de Jurançon Mid December
About forty Jurançon estates open their cellars for tastings and local produce.
Best things to do in Pau
Boulevard des Pyrénées
A terrace promenade above the river where, on a clear day, the whole Pyrenean chain fills the southern horizon.
National Museum and the Château de Pau
Henri IV was born in this fortress turned Renaissance palace, now a museum of tapestries and royal rooms above the Gave.
Funiculaire de Pau
A free historic funicular from 1908 linking the station to the upper town in about three minutes, bicycles included.
Musée des Beaux-Arts de Pau
A free municipal museum with El Greco, Rubens and a famous Degas, sized for a satisfying hour or so.
Musée Bernadotte
The Pau birthplace of Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, a local soldier who became a marshal of Napoleon and king of Sweden.
Tour des Géants
A free open air line of steles for every Tour de France winner, in the city that hosts the race more than almost any other.
Stade du Hameau
Home of Section Paloise Top 14 rugby, where a home match is the most local night out Pau offers.
Palais Beaumont
A Belle Epoque palace and formal park at the end of the boulevard, with summer open air concerts in the Théâtre de Verdure.
Where to stay in Pau
Centre-ville and the Boulevard des Pyrénées
first visit, car free stays and couples
The château, market, museums, funicular and most restaurants are within a ten minute walk.
Trespoey
quiet, parkland and golf focused stays
The villa quarter east of Parc Beaumont, green and residential with almost nothing open after dark nearby.
Pau Est, Bizanos and the Zénith strip
drivers and concert or stadium nights only
Chain hotels and the white water stadium by the Tarbes road, cheap and practical but with no neighbourhood to stroll.
Think twice about
- Pau Est commercial strip as a car free base
Retail sheds and chain hotels on the Tarbes road, with no walkable centre and dinner that means a drive.
- Immediate gare forecourt
The scruffiest walk in Pau and deserted late at night. Sleep in the upper town and use the funicular instead.
- Ousse-des-Bois
A large northern housing estate with no visitor infrastructure and no reason for a visitor to base there.
Best restaurants in Pau
Le Jeu de Paume
The smartest dining room in Pau, in the Parc Beaumont hotel, cooking local produce on a terrace over the park.
L'Interprète
A small gastronomic room in the old town where precise cooking and thoughtful wine pairings draw food lovers.
Maynats
An acclaimed gastronomic table near the funicular, famous for a lunch menu that is remarkable value.
Omnivore
A well run bistro on Place Gramont with a short market menu, strong south western wines and a fine terrace.
Les Pyrénées
A refined restaurant on Place Royale with a shaded terrace, seasonal cooking and a strong Jurançon and Madiran list.
Ô Petit Pau
A small market cooking bistro on Place Clemenceau with a long terrace, a proper wine list and calm service.
jumo&co
Twin brothers, a chef and a pastry chef, run this old town bistro, pastry counter and tea room at low prices.
Le Berry
The grand brasserie of Place Clemenceau, open long hours daily for oysters, roasts and a Paris-Brest.
Outdoor things to do in Pau
Pau Golf Club 1856
Continental Europe's oldest golf club, founded in 1856, a flat tree lined par 69 under the Pyrenean skyline.
Parc Aquasports - Stade d'Eaux Vives Pau-Pyrénées
An Olympic champion's home white water stadium in Bizanos, with public rafting, kayak and hydrospeed sessions all year.
Petit Train d'Artouste
A narrow gauge railway along a mountain ledge to Lac d'Artouste at nearly 2000 metres, reached by gondola from Fabrèges.
Lacs d'Ayous
A chain of tarns above Bious-Artigues, each reflecting the Pic du Midi d'Ossau, with a refuge at Lac Gentau.
Clos Lapeyre
A family Jurançon domaine pouring five estate wines after a walk through vines, cellar and a small museum.
Ossau de l'eau
Owner guided canyoning near Laruns, with jumps, natural slides and abseils in turquoise Ossau water.
Grottes de Bétharram
A five level show cave east of Pau, ending with an underground river boat ride and a little train out of the hill.
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes
One of Europe's great pilgrimage sanctuaries, free to enter and only about 27 minutes from Pau by direct train.
Best hotels in Pau
Parc Beaumont Hôtel & Spa Pau - MGallery Collection
Pau's flagship five star hotel by Parc Beaumont, with a spa, pool, garden terrace and the Le Jeu de Paume restaurant.
Hôtel de Gramont
An 18th century house on Place Gramont, five minutes from the château, with a magnolia courtyard and a warm welcome.
Hôtel Bristol
A three star near the fine arts museum whose guest scores beat hotels a category above it for care and calm.
ibis Pau Centre
The reliable cheap central bed, a standard ibis ten minutes from Les Halles and the boulevard.
Appart'City Confort Pau Centre
Self catering studios and two bedroom units in the centre, the per person value pick for families and groups.
Hôtel Villa Navarre
A five star villa hotel in two hectares of park on Avenue Trespoey, quiet and romantic with Pyrenean views.
ibis budget Pau Est
The lowest priced Pau sleep for drivers, simple budget rooms with free parking on the eastern strip.
Is Pau expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €65 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €120 a person |
| Splurge | €260 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Stade du Hameau: weeks ahead
- Pau Golf Club 1856: a few days ahead
- Parc Aquasports - Stade d'Eaux Vives Pau-Pyrénées: a few days ahead
- Petit Train d'Artouste: a few days ahead
- Clos Lapeyre: a few days ahead
- Ossau de l'eau: a few days ahead
- Grottes de Bétharram: a few days ahead
- Gourette: a few days ahead
- Book Le Jeu de Paume, L'Interprète and Maynats days ahead, a week for weekends.
- Book Section Paloise tickets for Toulouse, Bayonne and La Rochelle fixtures as soon as they are released.
- Book Artouste train and Bétharram tickets online in July and August and download them before you go.
- Book the two five star hotels ahead for Grand Prix, Tour, rugby and February ski weekends.
Is Pau safe?
- Use the funicular and lit boulevard route after dark rather than the station stairs and underpass approaches.
- Light sleepers should not sleep directly above the Hédas bars, which are loud on student nights.
- Emergency number is 112.
- In the Ossau, weather and exposure are the real risks. Carry layers, water and a turnaround time.
Pau travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The Pyrenean view is weather dependent. Build the trip on food, museums and mountains and treat a clear morning as a bonus.
- The château tour is in French only, so read up on Henri IV first or content yourself with the free park.
- For a meal, walk one street back from the boulevard railing. The view cafés are best for a coffee or a glass of Jurançon.
- Monday is Pau's quiet day, with museums shut and many restaurants resting. Make it a mountain or Lourdes day.
Getting around Pau: public transport and more
- Walk the upper town. The château to Palais Beaumont is about 20 minutes along the boulevard.
- Ride the free funicular between the gare and the upper town, especially with luggage.
- Take direct trains to Lourdes in about 27 minutes and to Bayonne and the Basque coast in about an hour.
- Hire a car for the Ossau valley, Ayous and Artouste. Buses outside July and August are very thin.
Who Pau suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Pau your trip
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